Historically, Robert Merton’s theory of anomie has suffered from harsh criticism on the basis of its weak empirical support and theoretical assumptions. Although, some have made the claim that the failing support is because of inadequate operationalization of Merton’s theory. The purpose of this study is therefore to analyze the operationalization in previous research of Robert Merton’s original theory of anomie, as it was presented in 1938 in Social Structure and Anomie. Firstly, a thorough examination and analysis is conducted on the article Social Structure and Anomie and the theory therein. Secondly, through a systematic review 13 articles that operationalize Merton’s theory were selected and then analyzed based on the core parts of Robert Merton’s paradigm. Results indicate that the culturally defined goals almost exclusively are operationalized as academic and/or economic goals and that the institutionalized means are operationalized in accord with the culturally defined goals. Furthermore, it is found that neither adaptations nor the cultural perspective have any significant place within operationalization.